Marijuana story ignores damages of 'war on drugs'

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I would like to address the recent article by Sadie Gurman about pot-related deaths in Colorado.

The article gives time to Sgt. Gerhardt for the unsupported quote, "Sadly, we're going to start to understand over time all of the damage and all of the problems associated with marijuana," but ignores all the damage and all the problems our drug policies cause in Mexico and Colombia. It ignores damage and problems caused to families of people caught up in the drug war on both sides, enforcement and drug addicts alike. It ignores damage and problems that disproportionately affect minority communities even though usage rates are less or equal to whites. It ignores damage and problems affecting family stability and physical and mental health associated with alcohol. It ignores damage and problems caused by smoking cigarettes.

Nobody is pretending marijuana is harmless except those who want to simplify the arguments of critics of the disastrously ineffective and financially untenable "war on drugs." Even if the links to death caused by pot are true, they are reported, and thus preventable, only in a system that has at least decriminalized and are greatly overshadowed by truly dangerous things. Like walking down the street.

David Wanie

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Marijuana story ignores damages of 'war on drugs'

I would like to address the recent article by Sadie Gurman about pot-related deaths in Colorado.

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